Hearty Mixed Lentil and Vegetable Soup
It certainly is Fall in the air, I took comfort in cooking up this amazing Mixed Lentil and Vegetable Soup. The soup is so deeply satisfying it is difficult to believe that it is vegan and gluten-free to boot. It takes a little time to cook. All the lentils and beans are cooked from the scratch, which essentially is what gives the soup its depth of flavor. Smoky paprika, ginger and turmeric round out the flavors. The kids LOVED it, which really is pretty much all I can ask for. I had thoughts/hopes/intentions of attending the Armonk Cider Festival, but remember about it too late in the day. Actually, just when I started seeing social media posts. The problem with social media, you often end up finding out how much fun you have missed. Sometimes at least…
Lately, I have felt the need to nourish myself. How does one nourish themselves? In my case, I sleep a lot and cook therapeutic foods.
Soulful soups, one pot rice and beans and things such as that. I have also been trying to set up manageable bite sized aspirations. Such as getting out this week, to do my promised set of evening activities instead of bingeing on Netflix.
Speaking of which I have been watching a bunch of Bengali movies all with an actress in common. I finally took the time to look her up. Was expecting a different name, not sure why… Do you sometimes associate faces with names, until you actually know them?
This soup certainly fits the bill. The depth of flavor is created by preparing a chickpea broth, made by simmering chickpeas from the scratch while you prep the rest of the soup. And then you cook the remaining things. You will need to plan for this dish in terms of time but other than the prepping this does cook unattended.
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A hearty vegan mixed lentil and vegetable soup. Make a large batch to enjoy through the week.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 1/2 cup black-eyed peas
- 3/4 cup red lentils
- 1/2 cup barley
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
- 1 and a half cups diced vegetables (I used a combination of carrots, beans, peas and zucchini)
- Chopped Cilantro
- Fresh Lime Juice
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas, salt, minced garlic, minced ginger and the diced onion with 2 cups of water into the instant pot. Set on 40 minutes of pressure cooking. Do a quick release. Stir well.
- Add in the black-eyed peas, red lentils, barley, smoked paprika, red cayenne pepper, turmeric with 2 more cups of water. Add in the tomatoes.
- Cover and pressure cook another 15 minutes. Do a natural steam release if time permits.
- Remove cover, add extra water if needed. Add in the vegetables, check for salt. Set on saute mode and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are done.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice and serve.
Mike
How many tomatoes? Thanks
rinkub@aol.com
Two as mentioned in the recipe.
beth penn
If I used a bag of mixed frozen vegetables, should I cook them before adding? Or add them in the beginning (just frozen to the instant pot)?
rinkub@aol.com
Hi Beth,
You do not need to cook, I would actually add it at the end, after the lentils are done. You can add at the begining, if you want them very soft.